


Peace, Finally

by illogicalkat



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Based on a moodboard, Developing Relationship, M/M, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illogicalkat/pseuds/illogicalkat
Summary: Thanos is gone.Tony returned home and immediately whisked Steve away on holiday.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Peace, Finally

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Finally Peace [!Moodboard]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26789761) by [DarthBloodOrange (DepressingGreenie)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DepressingGreenie/pseuds/DarthBloodOrange). 



> When I saw [DarthBloodOrange's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DepressingGreenie/pseuds/DarthBloodOrange) moodboard, I immediately thought of Kyushu in springtime: cherry blossoms and new leaves and sunlight.

Steve wanders back to the large, empty room Tony had first shown him. Outside, morning light spills through foliage, not yet hitting the windows but warming the room, nonetheless. 

“Hey, Tony?”

“Mmhm?”

“Where are the bedrooms? I mean, this house has a bunch of rooms, but none of them seem to have a purpose. Did you forget to order furniture or…” Steve trails off, wondering why Tony has gone from smiling to shaking with laughter. “I’m missing something, aren’t I.”

In answer, Tony steps to the closet door and slides it open, revealing a folded piece of foam and a stack of blankets and pillows. 

“What’s that?”

“The futon,” Tony answers. “I know it might not seem really _me,_ but I like the idea. And I never got to stay here much, so the novelty never quite wore off.” He tugs the foam out and unfolds it to the middle of the floor, where it becomes a mattress about the size of a queen bed. He then grabs the pile of blankets and unfolds them, spreading them across the mattress. 

Steve jumps to help, and in moments they have made the futon into a bed. Tony collapses in the middle and smiles up at Steve, reaching out for him. Steve follows eagerly.

“This is really low to the ground.”

“Of course it is, we’re on the floor.”

“Is this why the floor is made of dried grass?”

“Those are tatami mats, and yes. Much softer than hardwood or concrete.” Tony curls against him, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Steve places a kiss on Tony’s forehead. “I’m glad, too. Are we taking a nap or…?”

“Nap first, Cap. I’m too old and too jetlagged to do anything until I get some rest. Then I’ll show you the garden.”

\---

“C’mon, Cap, you’ve seen cherry blossoms before. DC has an entire festival dedicated to them.” 

Steve doesn’t answer, instead gazing into the canopy of soft pink and white sakura blossoms overhead. Sunlight filters through, bathing the park in warm light. Steve reaches up to touch one of the blossoms, marveling at the feel. Movement in his peripheral vision precedes warmth as Tony slides into place against his front, arms wrapping around his waist. 

“You know,” Tony purrs into Steve’s chest, “I might get jealous of that tree.”

Steve huffs a laugh and returns the hug, still fascinated by the canopy above them.

“You seem really comfortable here,” he comments.

It’s true; Tony is far more relaxed than he ever was in New York. Perhaps it’s their seclusion; perhaps it’s the lack of threats against them, now that Thanos is gone. Perhaps it’s simply springtime and he’s with _Steve,_ and they’re _together._

\---

Tony relaxes into the pillows, the sunlight soft through the shoji doors. It must be mid-afternoon, Steve thinks, getting up from the floor-bed (futon, Tony called it a futon) to slide the paper and wood door open. Cherry blossoms dance in the breeze, turning the world soft pink. 

“You can open the glass door, too,” a voice from the mound of blankets says. “In fact, you should. It’s nice weather today.”

Steve smiles and searches for the window lock, sliding the glass door open and letting in the scent of springtime and saltwater. 

“How far are we from the ocean?” Steve asks. They’re on an island, Steve knows this, but it’s a large island: large enough to house 14 million people, large enough that the drive from the airport had taken over an hour, and he wasn’t paying the best of attention on said drive. Too distracted by brown eyes and a smile he hadn’t seen in too long. A smile he thought he’d lost, shattered with the arc reactor he’d smashed in Siberia. Steve shivers, wishing the memory away. That was the past. Tony has forgiven him. 

Tony gets up and joins him at the window, filtered sunlight dancing over his face. Steve wants to hold this moment forever, it’s too much to ask for, forgiveness and reconciliation and now, finally, peace.  
“It’s just down there,” Tony says, gesturing, “past the trees. But there’s a cliff, we’ll have to take the long way around. No cliff diving,” he admonishes. “The water isn’t deep enough, even a super-soldier might break his neck.

“Although really, we should skip the ocean altogether. It’s cold and stinks of fish. We’ll have a hot bath instead, that’s much more inviting.”

\---

Tony is fighting not to laugh. Steve tries to hide his disappointment, he really just wanted to run a bath for the two of them. With candles. It was supposed to be romantic. But the tub is… _small._ He’s pretty sure Tony won’t fit either, which seems out of place in a Stark house. And Tony laughing – or pretending not to laugh, his shoulders are shaking with the effort – isn’t helping.

“Why is the bathtub so small?” Steve asks, deciding a straightforward question is best. 

“Because we’re in Japan and Mother thought it was quaint. Don’t worry, we’ve got something much better than this.” Tony turns and gestures for Steve to follow. 

The “something much better” turns out to be a private hot spring. “They’re all over the island,” Tony explains as they sink into the steaming water. “Most of them are spas, but this one belonged to the residence. It’s why Howard bought it in the first place.”

“I’m surprised he had any dealings here; didn’t he work on the Manhattan Project? I saw Nagasaki on the map, it isn’t far.”

“Well this is Saga, not Nagasaki, but you’re not wrong. I’m not sure how he managed it. Maybe it was Mom’s doing, she liked the pottery here. Always brought home loads of the stuff.”

Steve feels his muscles relaxing, leans into Tony’s side. The sun is setting, the sky shifting hues from pink and purple to the deeper blue of dusk, faint stars dotting the sky. Steve lets himself float, gazing into the night. This house feels remote, but the skyglow from the town still dims the heavens; these are not the night skies he remembers from the war. A splash pulls his attention, tanned muscle making a hasty retreat to the indoors.

Steve snaps to attention, realization hitting him. 

“I’ll join you.”

Tony is already inside, tying his robe perhaps tighter than necessary. He smiles softly, shaking his head gently. “No, enjoy the night air. I’ve got some- “

Any further words are cut off when Steve wraps warm hands around his torso and presses his lips to Tony’s forehead. 

“I’m sorry.”

Steve feels Tony stiffen and almost immediately relax. 

“It’s not you. It’s just…” He doesn’t finish the sentence. He tries again. “I’ve had enough stargazing to last for my next few lifetimes.”

“You don’t have to talk about it, Tony.”

Neither of them wants to talk about what really bothers them.

\---

The onsen had ended poorly, however nice it might have started. Tony wasn’t comfortable under the stars. Steve tried to understand, even if he couldn’t relate; he hadn’t gone through a wormhole with a nuclear warhead, after all, nor had he stowed away on a spaceship and fought Thanos on a different planet altogether. He tried, and failed, to understand the emotion it must force to the surface. Maybe it wasn’t understanding Tony needed, though. Maybe he just needed acceptance, and the reminder that he isn’t alone, doesn’t have to be alone, anymore. Steve could give him that, at least. 

Which is how they wound up back on the floor-bed – _futon,_ Steve reminds himself – the next afternoon, Tony curled against Steve’s chest and Steve staring through the window again. The light was even softer with the shoji doors closed, but the cherry blossoms dancing in the breeze are too beautiful for Steve to shut away. He watches the branches shift and sway, the pink and white petals fluttering, the sunlight softened to a gentle kiss behind it all. Steve absently plays his fingertips along Tony’s shoulder, his attention lost in the pure moment of spring just beyond the glass. 

“Tony?” Steve asks quietly. Tony stirs against him. “Tony, I’m- I didn’t say it before, but I- “

Tony’s lips on his effectively stop Steve from speaking. 

“It’s okay. _We’re_ okay, Steve. Really. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, Tony's house is in Hasetsu, which Yuri on Ice fans will recognize as Yuri's hometown. The town is fictional, but it's in Saga prefecture which is very real, known for ceramics, and is indeed next to Nagasaki prefecture.  
> I lived in Sasebo, Japan for a few years, and there's always a week in springtime where the trees are in bloom and it's just beautiful. The [cherry blossom festival](https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/) in Washington, DC that Tony mentions is also real (at least, in years that are not affected by covid).


End file.
